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CRITIC REVIEWS
90
With Reunions, Isbell unites the disparate aspects of his craft — soothing acoustic and fiercely electric; Hemingway's word economy dashed with Oscar Wilde-worthy asides, relatable details and otherworldly allusions.
2mo
90
The fact these songs seem so telling in a strange and difficult time has a bit to do with coincidence, but more important is the excellence of Isbell's songwriting.
2mo
80
Lyrically, Isbell is at the top of his game.
2mo
80
Seven albums on, Isbell’s achieved a rarified status, one that indulges a need for creativity as well as contemplation. Reunions reminds us that it’s the rare artist that succeeds at both.
2mo
80
The result is a body of work that often feels indispensable. Isbell is a songwriter’s songwriter, but the songs that result are for all of us.
2mo
80
With a blend of fact and fiction, Isbell has created his own Nebraska and secured his place among the greats of country-rock.
2mo
80
He writes about the ordinary torments of an examined life with real empathy, matching sublime turns of phrase with all the right chords in all the right places, and arrangements that lift up a song and carry it exactly where you might want it to go.
2mo
80
From tight rockers to disappointed country tunes, Reunions hits the spot.
2mo
80
Whether he’s musing insightfully over alcoholism or parenthood, his band are blazing and Isbell takes a tired format and charges it up with passion and perceptiveness. An admirable anomaly.
2mo
80
Now, with Isbell’s jangly, hard-earned wisdom, we too can be let go into a new world buoyed at least by his latest batch of terrific songs. Isbell can be confident he has helped at least that much.
2mo
78
The alt-country singer-songwriter’s new album moves steadily and carefully, lingering on the conflicted emotions of his finely-etched tales and the band’s textured, elegant understatement.
2mo
70
Reunions is a nuanced, probing record that finds Isbell more restless than he’s been since Southeastern, a rich portrait of an artist eternally searching deeper within himself.
2mo
70
With an encompassing vision for past, present and future, Reunions contains plenty of memorable, affecting tracks. It has a few missteps and doesn’t carry the persistent urgency of The Nashville Sound. Isbell and the 400 Unit have hit their groove (albeit with no peak), and it enables them to create a record with everything in its right place.
2mo
70
In Reunions, as elsewhere in Isbell’s career, the simple matter of settling down and raising a family is made to sound like the greatest adventure of them all.
2mo
70
Isbell’s new album Reunions may be his most personal yet, and while this can yield some of the record’s most hauntingly intimate moments, it can slip a little too far into preoccupied, essayistic memoir to be among Isbell’s best work.
2mo
The fact that Sam Hunt has seven times more monthly listeners on Spotify than Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit perfectly describes the current state of Country/Americana music but unfortunately it also gives the genre at large a bad reputation when there's gems like this one out there waiting to be heard yet some people won't give it a chance simply because of the genre attached to it.
Reunions is a brilliant and charming Alt-Country album with some of the best songwriting I've heard all year, ... read more
Reunions is a brilliant and charming Alt-Country album with some of the best songwriting I've heard all year, ... read more
With a less open mind in the past, I haven't given Jason Isbell or the 400 Unit crew much time of day. I assumed they just fell snuggly into the country category without a great deal of variation. However, I almost wouldn't even box this into country at all; it would be like trying to call Bruce Springsteen country.
I mention his name because this falls far deeper into the heartland rock category, a genre that could be confused for country given its southern rootsy elements. Country typically ... read more
I mention his name because this falls far deeper into the heartland rock category, a genre that could be confused for country given its southern rootsy elements. Country typically ... read more
On any other week, this would be the most talked about and most liked album, but in this week with Moses Sumney, Charli XCX and Perfume Genius all dropping high profile releases, i'm a little worried that people might miss one of the better Country albums this year
My introduction to Jason Isbell came with his 2015 solo effort, Something More Than Free, and then in 2017 his album, Nashville Sound introduced me to The 400 Unit properly. Jason's sound is a warm mixture of Folksy Americana with ... read more
My introduction to Jason Isbell came with his 2015 solo effort, Something More Than Free, and then in 2017 his album, Nashville Sound introduced me to The 400 Unit properly. Jason's sound is a warm mixture of Folksy Americana with ... read more
Reunions is the kind of album I feel like was made specifically for me. Americana influences with a socially conscious edge? Self-reflective ballads and harrowing short stories? Songs where you can yell along with the chorus? Fiddles? Sing me the fuck up.
In all seriousness though, Jason Isbell is an extremely talented singer-songwriter, and The 400 Unit provides some great, fleshed out alt-country instrumentals to back him up. Some songs may not hit as hard as others, but every single track ... read more
In all seriousness though, Jason Isbell is an extremely talented singer-songwriter, and The 400 Unit provides some great, fleshed out alt-country instrumentals to back him up. Some songs may not hit as hard as others, but every single track ... read more
'Reunions' is fascinating in that it's proven itself to be Isbell's most consistent set of tunes in the truest sense; I could make an argument that every song on the album is equally great.
I wouldn't (and don't) rate it higher than 'Southeastern' due to it lacking those standout moments, but it does have an easy appeal that makes it his repeat plays champion.
He has never sounded more radio friendly than on material like 'Running with Our Eyes Closed' and 'It Gets Easier' - the fact that ... read more
I wouldn't (and don't) rate it higher than 'Southeastern' due to it lacking those standout moments, but it does have an easy appeal that makes it his repeat plays champion.
He has never sounded more radio friendly than on material like 'Running with Our Eyes Closed' and 'It Gets Easier' - the fact that ... read more
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Track List
- What've I Done to Help
- Dreamsicle
- Only Children
- Overseas
- Running with Our Eyes Closed
- River
- Be Afraid
- St. Peter's Autograph
- It Gets Easier
- Letting You Go
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Added on: February 10, 2020